Game Recap: How Alabama Fared In Its Spring Game

The game that so many fans anticipated started out with some rain drops, but is that going to stop Alabama fans from coming to the spring game? I think not.

The 84,500 fans that were there all saw something special from the get go. They got to see former players in a flag football game before the game started, and one of those players was Tyrone Prothro.

I was very impressed with Prothro's speed after recovering from a badly broken ankle.

Besides seeing Tyrone Prothro in action again, I saw some things I liked and didn't like at the A-Day game.

One of the first things I noticed at the game was the secondary. We were extremely weak in that area which doesn't look good when the rest of the defense looks good.

Kareem Jackson hasn't looked too good since the 2007 Tennessee game, and Justin Woodall did OK. Those are the two players I am referring to when I say that the secondary didn't look to good.

If Nick Saban wants his defense to be indestructible, he needs to be working on his secondary, and soon.

On the offensive side of the ball, I was quite impressed with the tight ends, despite the fact that they are first-year starters. They really impressed me with all the catches they had.

Quaterback Greg McElroy was also pretty good, considering he was 16-for-30 for 189 yards and two touchdowns. The only thing I believe McElroy needs to work on is his accuracy under pressure. When someone like Rolando Mcclain or Dont'a Hightower pressured him, his throws were not accurate and the receivers would miss the ball.

I think that this can improved by the time the team kicks off the season against Virginia Tech.

The receivers, however, were impressive, considering that one of them is Julio Jones.

I didn't focus on the offensive tackle spot too much because I still believe that DJ Fluker will start at that position as a freshmen. However, the rest of the offensive line looked pretty good. They had some really good blocks, especially Brian Motley, who I felt did a great job blocking Terrence Cody.

Running back Terry Grant got the start because Mark Ingram and Roy Upchurch are battling injuries, but Grant wasn't too impressive. I think Grant will never have a season like he did in 2007.

Like offensive tackle, it looks like I am going to have to wait to the season opener to watch running backs like Mark Ingram, Roy Upchurch, and Trent Richardson in action.

On the second string offense, I was quite upset that they didn't play QB Star Jackson too much. He played some, but not enough for me to comment on his accuracy, strength, and throws under pressure.

On the second string, the player that impressed me the most was Marquis Maze.

Almost every pass thrown to him by the second string QB was caught. I know he will get to play a lot during the season, but I believe he should start. I know he is not tall, but he is quick and has quick feet. I also think they should put him at running back during certain plays.

On the defensive side on the ball, like I said earlier, the secondary really upset me. They were not covering well at all.

Our linebackers, meanwhile, looked exceptionally talented. Rolando Mcclain put it to his offensive tackling target, and Dont'a Hightower had the power to break through the line and pressure the quarterback. Cory Reamer surprisingly wasn't that bad.

I will say that, out of the whole secondary, Javier Arenas had some great coverage, but also had his bad times. I just try to remember that, if Javier Arenas intercepts the ball, he is gone.

Our defensive line looked strong, but simply because they are being led by Terrence Cody.

On special teams, I am proud to say that P.J. Fitzgerald did not have that bad of a game. Leigh Tiffin was inconsistent on some of his field goals, but he wasn't that bad either.

Javier Arenas and Julio Jones led the special teams' effort, but that isn't too much of a shock.

So, there were good things and bad things that I noticed at A-Day. There were strengths and weaknesses that we need to work on, but other than that, I think that A-Day was quite successful and I hope that ESPN will be back next year.